A Cry in the Night Oblivion's Dawn
by Xenolord
Summary: Nereverine Xenobia is called back from Morrowind to Cyrodiil to stop an encroaching darkness. Tells the story before Oblivion begins. Dedicated to the folks at the Elder Scrolls III: Cyrodiil forums! Support their project.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer and Note: I do not own Bethesda Softworks, ANY mod I mention in the fiction, or The Elder Scrolls series. This story takes place shortly after Dagoth Ur's defeat under Red Mountain. Xenobia, the Nereverine and Incarnate, is a female White Tiger, with a very nasty attitude towards Daedra.

The Elder Scrolls: A Cry in the Night – Oblivion's Dawn

Prologue

It was a very dark, and unusually warm night on Morrowind. The Sixth House had been put down for the second time, for the last time. Dagoth Ur was nothing more then a bad memory, and the Tribunal Temple lay in ruins, it's last surviving member passing into mortality. Xenobia was now sound asleep inside her room, the sheets pulled right up to her neck to fight back the Bitter Coast chills. She had been wandering the island protecting her people from all who would do them wrong, and while she was on these adventures, she preferred to sleep in any inn that would take her. It was a moral support for the people of Vvardenfell.

Tonight, she found herself bunked up in Arrile's Tradehouse in Seyda Neen. They only had one room, and it was a very lucky break it was available. But then again, almost no one visits the Podunk little town of Seyda Neen. It held a special place in Xenobia's heart, however, being her port-of-entry on Vvardenfell. She was reliving her epic struggle under Red Mountain in her dreams. Her mind recreating every slash, every ounce of pain she had to endure to defeat the Demon of the Mountain.

She was awoken by a soft, almost scared knock at the door. Her dreams halted. She opened one eye and scanned the room. Nothing. She sat up and wiped the sweat from her brow. The knock came again. She stretched before answering.

"Yes?" She muttered softly, still dizzy from her sleep.

"Milady Nereverine? I have a visitor for you." A small voice called through the door. Xenobia sighed and cursed to herself.

"Bloody tourists. Sure, show them in." Was her reply. The door creaked open and the tall form of Arrile the Altmer entered skittishly. He kept his eyes diverted away from the woman of almost god-like reputation. "For the love of god, Arrile! Don't divert your eyes! I'm not freakin' Mehrunes Dagon here!" She barked to the Altmer. He complied and leveled his head.

"If I may..." The form of a high-stature Imperial male pushed his way past the Altmer into Xenobia's room. He held his helmet under his arm, his brown hair matted against his forehead. "Madam Xenobia, I am Clavicus Varrius, Imperial Knight Errant from the Imperial City in Cyrodiil, come bearing a message from Emperor Uriel Septim himself." He got down on one knee and presented a sealed envelope towards Xenobia, who took it without hesitation. She reached under her pillow and drew one of the two Tantos she kept there, slicing the envelope's seal open. Replacing the short dagger, she pulled the letter out and began to read.

"Nereverine Xenobia, Hortator of Great House Redoran, Hortator of Great House Telvanni, Hortator of Great House Hlaalu, Nerevar Incarnate. I, Emperor Uriel Septim VII, am forced to draw upon your skills once more. There is a great evil in Cyrodiil that I cannot grasp, and it is my personal belief that there is no greater hero capable of destroying this evil, then the one person to destroy Dagoth Ur. Caius speaks highly of you, and upon your arrival I wish to speak with you directly. Glory to the Empire, Emperor Uriel Septim VII.'" She finished, dropping her hands. She looked at Clavicus, who had not budged from the ground. "So, when do we leave?" Was her response, throwing the blankets from her body, the chill striking her bare skin. Arrile turned his head away.

"At once, Milady. There is a boat waiting at the Census and Exise office. It will take us to the mainland, and then we must make haste to catch the caravan through Morrowind and Black Marsh. We will then travel through the Blackwood on foot, arriving in the port city of Leyawiin, where we must catch the Mercenary Trains up to Bravil, and then proceeding towards the Imperial City." he replies. Xenobia let her Daedric Rune Dress drape over her, the split at the collar sitting perfectly on her chest. Despite the fact it was semi-transparent, no one said anything about it, and she didn't care either way. Her white socks blended in near-perfectly to her snow-white skin, the only proof she was wearing any footwear was the black shoes which adorned the white socks. She then hiked up her micro skirt and smiled, muttering a:

"Sweet. I get to go out the way I came in. What style." Her fangs protruding from her upper jaw. Something Vivec hated. She reached under her bed and drew Trueflame, the sword of Nerevar. The blade glowed with a beautiful flame which never burned anything Xenobia didn't want it too. She hooked Trueflame onto the little loop on her Daedric Rune Dress' waist. Again, she dug under the bed and pulled out three smaller weapons. One, an ebony kunai, she placed between her breasts. The second, a small, however lethal appearing hammer which glowed with a blue shimmer, the legendary Kagrance Tool Sunder, she put on another loop on the other side of her dress. And the third, the Dwemer Dagger, and legendary Kagrance Tool Keening, she slipped into her right sock, far enough where only the emerald-adorned handle can be seen. Reaching under the bed one last time, she slid two Daedric Katanas out, and finally dragged a large, deadly looking Daedric Claymore out. She picked up the two Katanas and slid each one through two loops sewn along the rear of her dress, the weapons pressing gently perpendicular against her lower back. The Claymore she placed between two large loops on her back, loops clearly designed for a weapon of such mass and lethality. She then stood upright, all six weapons visible to anyone close enough to look. "Oh, mister Clavicus. I'm ready for my close up." She smiled, pushing past the two and walking down the stairs, nodding to the Nord who always stood watch in the Tradehouse's second floor.

The night was coming to a close. The sun could be seen peaking up from the east, just beside Red Mountain. She guessed the time was somewhere around four or four thirty. Clavicus and Arrile exited behind her.

"Do you always walk around loaded for bear?" Clavicus questioned, stopping behind her. Xenobia chuckled and nodded.

"All the time, my good man. All the time." She inhaled the dawn air and strode to the Census and Excise office, muttering greetings to several denizens of Seyda Neen. She passed the Templar who had finalized her release papers and had provided her first eighty seven gold, which was to foundation of her fortune.

The boat which was docked on the edge now was far nicer then the one that dropped her off initially. It was a wood-and-metal ship with gold inlays. The oars were constructed from solid mahogony, and the mast was pure Netch Leather. The side of the hull read "INS Mehrunes Dagon". A docking ramp had been lowered to the dock complete with two guards standing at attention at it's base.

"Stand aside. I arrive in the company of the Nereverine, Xenobia." Clavicus declared to the guards, who stepped aside. He motioned Xenobia on board. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure she recognized from the start of it all. A thin Dunmer man with a multitude of nose rings.

"Jiub? Gee beasties! What happened to you!" She shouted his way.

"Xenobia! I thought that was you! You look stunning! A lot better then I remember you looking, all scraggily walking off that boat in a daze. So, Nereverine and Great House Hortator. Who'd a thunk it?" He growled in his deep voice.

"And you! Look at YOU. All decked out in Imperial Steel. How'd that happen?" She muttered.

"Well, after you left, we made for Black Marsh to pick up another prisoner who was in transit to Skyrim for trial. Bloody Argonian attacked the ship guards. Killed two of them and mamed the other. I snuck up behind the fetcher and snapped his neck. Never saw it coming. They rewarded me with a position in the Imperial Legion. I wasn't one to refuse. So here I am. Knight in the Legion." He sighed. "But enough about me! Tell me how you got to be the Nereverine!"

"Now, THAT's a funny story if ever there was one. I was just minding my own business when..." Xenobia was cut off by Arrile charging up the gangplank waving something in his hand.

"Xenobia! Milady Xenobia! You forgot your glove and rings!" He shouted waving a heavy dwarven gauntlet around.

"Ho, snap. Don't want to forget these babies. Thank you." She replied taking the gauntlet and three rings from the Altmer's hand. The first ring, an ivory band decorated with a interlocking moon and star, was Moon-and-Star, the ring of Lord Nerevar. It symbolized her as Nerevar Reborn, the Nereverine. The Incarnate. The second ring was a midnight black decorated with red bands. The ring no one on Vvardenfell, not to mention Morrowind would recognize. It was Barilzar's Mazed Band, a ring which could summon and bind a Fabricant, a powerful and deadly creature, to it's wearer. She had pried it off Almalexia's dead finger after gutting her like a fish. The third and final ring was a most interesting piece of jewelry. No matter who she took it to, no one could tell her what it was, the nature of it, or, for that matter, what it did. But she liked it's look, and kept it all the same, not having the heart to sell it, despite the erroniously high prices most jewelers were offering for it.

After slipping Moon-and-Star onto her left ring finger, Barilzar's Mazed Band onto her left middle finger, and the strange, unknown ring onto her left index finger, she turned her attention to the Dwemer glove. The third, and final Kagrance Tool, Wraithguard. After the Heart of Lorkhan's destruction, Sunder and Keening had been drained of all their lethal enchantments, allowing any average Joe or Jane to wield the tools. She just thought that Wraithguard made a nice addition to her outfit, and decided to keep it on. She flexed her hand inside Wraithguard, just to see if it still fit perfectly. As it should, the gauntlet fit her just like it was made for her very hand. She sighed happily.

"I love this thing." She muttered. "Oh, right, how I became the Nereverine, right. Well, it all started when I got off the boat. I was given a package to deliver to a man in Balmora..." She began as the boat started to pull away from Seyda Neen. As she spoke, Xenobia thought to herself:

"Good-bye, Vvardenfell. Why do I have a feeling I'm never going to see you again..."


	2. Leyawiin

A Note to all the Oblivion Players Who Will Notice This: I DO have Oblivion, but my computer cannot run it. So, the information I provide about town layouts and such, I'm getting straight from the Strategy Guide, so needless-to-say, I'm bound to get SOMETHING wrong. So, in advance, I apologize, and I'm busy upgrading my computer as we speak.

One: Layewiin

The group stepped out of Blackwood and into a clearing several hundred meters away from Layewiin, their first stop on their jouryney. Xenobia had never been in Cyrodiil herself...just once. An interim period she spent inside the Imperial Prison System, incarcerated for something she didn't do.

The four-group was lead by Clavicus. He forged ahead as point-man, making sure nothing bad became of Xenobia. Behind him not four feet was Xenobia and Juib, who were making their earnings by watching the sides of the group. And bringing up the rear was Kurgraz gra-bunguk, an Orc who had spent his entire life in the service of the Emperor. He was decked head-to-toe in complete Orcish armor, a large Daedric Battle-Axe slung on his back. Xenobia counted her lucky stars he was on their side.

"Alright, everyone. We made it out of the Blackwood with no trouble. But, that was the easy part. We still have to make it to Layewiin, and find a Mercenary group we can hitch a ride with. It's getting dark, so we should probably find a place to camp for the night. Southern Cyrodiil becomes very dangerous at night, and I don't want to get ambushed by raiders." Clavicus spoke to the group.

"What about there?" Xenobia said, pointing to a decrepit temple with a large rusting door as an entrance. "If it stayed in that good condition for so long, I think it'll hold up for one more night."

"Grand idea. We'll need to clear it out, first. Raiders, Undead, and other nasties make their homes in those kind of places. Who wants to clear it?"

"I shall do it, sir." Kurgraz spoke in his deep, throaty voice, reaching for his axe.

"Excellent. Xenobia, go with him. And if either of you find anything we can salvage and use, great, grab it and bring it outside. Jiub and I'll hold off anyone who shows up. Good luck." Clavicus nodded as the Orc and White Tiger entered the old temple.

The smell of death and decay was saturating the air. Xenobia about gagged at the sudden stench. Kurgraz was unaffected by it, however he did smell it, and something else.

"Smell that?" He asked, sniffing the air.

"What? That rancid, decaying stench? Hell yes I smell it!" Kurgraz didn't reply to Xenobia's sarcasm, just continued to sniff the air. He hunched farther down, his grip tightening on his axe. "Oh, are you serious? What is it?"

"I don't know as of yet...We must advance with caution, however...the unknown should always be taken slowly...yet hard." he crept forward, keeping as low to the ground as possible. Xenobia tried to repell the stink as best as she could, and draw Keening with right hand, and pulling one of her Katanas out of it's slot. Keening's blade faced the ground, while the katana stood erect in her left hand. She followed Kurgraz deeper into the cave.

As the crept, they could begin to hear voices echoing off the walls. By the sound of them, it was either a Necromancer, or Enchanter casting some kind of spell. Kurgraz went prone to the ground and crawled forward. He spied five Dunmer standing around a statue of Molag Bal, all chanting in unison. Xenobia couldn't see past the Orc's gigantic pauldrons. She tapped him twice on the back.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"Daedric worshippers. They're followers of Molag Bal." He replied, crawling back a ways to avoid detection.

"How many?"

"Five. Too many." Kurgraz shook his head defeated. "I'll have to get Clavicus for help."

"Don't bother. I can take them. How much can you lift?"

"What? Why?" He had a hint of confusion in his gruff voice.

"Can you hurl me in the middle of them?" She finished, looking over her odds.

"I think...But that's suicide!"

"For a man, yes. But I'm the Nereverine. I'm almost god. Just toss me in the middle." She got up into a kneel. Kurgraz cupped both hands under her foot and awaited her signal. "Just...don't miss, okay?" She muttered back. The Orc chuckled and with a great heave, hurled the White Tiger into the air. She flipped twice while flying and landed right in the middle of the circle. The Dunmer's chanting stopped. "Hello, boys." She smiled, standing, Keening and one Daedric Katana in her hands.

"Kill her, who interferes with out ritual!" One shouted.

"Yea, she's dead..." Kurgraz thought to himself, preparing to stand. Just as he got to a knee, he looked up in time to see Xenobia start spinning on one heel, her hair twirling frantically. She held both weapons out and slit four of the Dunmer's throats. The fifth backed off, his hand burning with magical fire. He hollered and launched a fireball at Xenobia. The Nereverine caught the blast in her right hand and threw it away. He tried several more times to burn her, all attempts met with the same fate. He eventually backed himself into a corner and, being trapped and tapped, had nothing to do, save draw his steel short sword.

"Please!" Xenobia shouted, throwing Keening into the air, drawing her other katana from her back, stabbing her left hand katana into his left side, cross stabbing her right hand katana into his right side, and with an emphatic "Stay down!" pulled both of them out by slashing out from his sides. Blood splattered on the walls and the Daedric worshipper dropped dead. She sheathed the freshly drawn katana and caught Keening on it's way down. The other katana found it's way back into her back sheathes, and Keening back into her sock. "Done and done!" She shouted up to Kurgraz, who decended from the place he was.

"Holy shit! You went fucking Mehrunes Dagon on their asses!" The Orc said in surprise. Xenobia ginned and knelt beside one of the dead worshippers. "Anything useful?"

"Couple of gold...the gauntlet he was wearing and...oh now this is interesting..." She reached down the side of his pant leg and pulled out a Daedric Shortsword, and an Ebony Dagger. "Bitch came packing. The Daedric Shortsword is totally mine." She slipped the weapon into her other sock and started rummaging through the other bodies. "Fuckin' hell! All these bitches were packin'! This ass has a freakin' Daedric Longsword!" Xenobia continued to look through the bodies of the slain Dunmer, looking for anything useful. After being satisfied she got everything, she and Kurgraz walked back the way they came and met with Clavicus at the exit.

"Ah! Xenobia! Kurgraz! You still live! Glad to see it. How did everything go?"

"All I saw was a flurry of Daedric weaponry and it was all over. Five on one." Kurgraz muttered. "They never stood a chance."

"Found some interesting stuff, though. Mostly Ebony, but there was the occasional Daedric weapon. Here." She dropped the weapons onto a pile in front of her. "Anything ya'll can use?"

"Definitly. Alright, Jiub. Load up and let's camp out."

The night passed without incident, however Xenobia didn't sleep. Something kept her mind preoccupied from it's nightly process. Dreams. Dreams reminiscent of the ones she had when her role in Morrowind's history was nothing but legend. None of the dreams stuck in her mind as either important, or even noteworthy; except one.

In her dream, she stood before a group of ten men dressed in dark outfits vaguly similar to the Daedric Armor pieces she had encountered on Morrowind, however pure black, like midnight. On the Curiass read in fine, Daedric rune print: "Glory to Mehrunes Dagon, who holds the fate of Nirn in the hands of his Daggers." The lead man, an Altmer of considerable hight, spoke to her.

"Xenobia of Skyrim. You stand trial before His Almighty Powers, the Mehrunes Daggers, under the charge of high treason against Lord Mehrunes Dagon. You have aided the inferieor races to escape, and their emperor to live. The penalty for such a transgression is death. There will be no bargains, no deals. Your execution shall commence at dawn's first light tomorrow. May the Daedra Gods have mercy upon your soul..." Just as two of the 'Mehrunes Daggers' grabbed Xenobia's arms, she sprung awake, sweat pouring down her face. The wind pierced her blanket and chilled her skin. She shuddered for the first time in months. Just as she put her head back down on the pillow, she heard a voice whisper to her.

"Nerevar..." It echoed in the darkness. Her right eye, the blue one, opened and began scanning the area. "Nerevar Incarnate! Here my voice!" The echo came again. She sat up on her arm and scoured the room, her natural night vision piercing most of the darkness.

"I'm listening..." She whispered back.

"What I have to say is for you only. Follow my voice deeper...deeper..." The voice began to fade away, and, not wanting to loose it, Xenobia stood and chased after it, the only audible sound was that of her bare feet slapping the cold stone. She went farther in without any direction until she was stopped. The figure of the Daedra Azura appeared before her, the Goddess' long flowing dress dragging across the stone as she stepped towards the Nereverine. "Nerevar Incarnate. Savior of Morrowind, why have you left your people to the East?"

"I came under the request of the Emperor to aid the people of Cyrodiil. My job was to protect people, and that is what I am doing." Xenobia answered, putting her right arm across her breasts, gripping her left upper arm. "Is that wrong?"

"No, Nerevar...however I must warn you that not everyone is as they appear."

"You may not survive this visit, Nerevar." A gruff voice faded from the darkness. The White Tiger turned her head right to see a very bulk, four-armed man step out. "There is a cult here in Cyrodiil...They claim to be called..."

"The Mehrunes Daggers." Xenobia answered. She recognized the person she was speaking to as Mehrunes Dagon. "Ya' know, Mehrunes? You're statues don't do you justice."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Nerevar. About the Daggers. They are evil. They claim to do my bidding, however they do everything but. Do not trust anyone you do not know. And that includes your Imperial friend."

"So, is this why you woke me up from my otherwise undisturbed sleep?" She asked. "Tell me something I already know?" Another voice laughed. Xenobia looked left to see another Daedric god, this one Sheogorad, stepped out.

"I see that the mask you wear now is the same as the one you donned when first we met, One of Many Names." Sheogorad muttered, circling Xenobia.

"And I see you're still madder then a hatter, Sheogorad. People change, but gods never do, hum?" She smirked.

"You have changed much, Nerevar. You have grown arrogant, foolish." Azura told her.

"Sometimes, in order to become better, it is nessecary for one to shed their skin. To evolve, to become different...Better..." Sheogorad told Azura. "However, One of Many Names...Dusk is correct. You have evolved into an arrogant fool. Before we depart...I shall drop these words into your ear. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to digest them well."

"Alright. Hit me with them." Xenobia responded.

"Oblivion is Nigh." And with that, Mehrunes Dagon, Azura, and Sheogorad dissappeared. Xenobia found herself standing in the cavern staring into the darkness, cold wind licking her flesh.

"Fuckin' Daedra." The Nereverine breathed, returning to camp.

"That must have been one important call you had to take, Xenobia." Jiub muttered, his eyes closed.

"What makes you say that?" She responded, slipping back under the covers and curling up trying to get warm.

"You just walk off into the cave stark naked. That was important. What or who was it?"

"Just...just..." She began, the time great between the two 'just's. "Daedra crap. That's all." Jiub muttered an 'ah' and went back to sleep.

"Well, boys and girl. Here we are. Layewiin. Next stop, the local tavern. Mercenaries tend to meet there to find work." Kurgraz spoke, looking over the city of Layewiin. It was about the size of Sadrith Mora, however less...Telvanni-like. The buildings were Imperial in design. The entire city was encompassed by a high wall, one separating the castle from the rest of the town.

"The local tavern would have to be the Three Sisters Inn. Shamada, and Shomara are friends of mine. Let's try to stay away from Shuravi, though. We...eh...don't get along to well..." Clavicus muttered, ushering the group forward. Xenobia caught up with Clavicus.

"Why don't you and Shuravi get along? Did she catch you in bed with her sisters?" She smiled in jest. Clavicus grinned uneasily.

"Eh...she'd think so." He replied. "We'll have to head up to the west gate. The Northeast gate tends to have too many question-laden guards."

The group came to the gate in record time. It was guarded by only two Imperial men. As Xenobia expected, the men blocked their path.

"Halt. Who goes there?" The man on the right asked.

"My name is Clavicus Varrius, Knight Errant of the Imperial Legion. I have returned from Morrowind bringing Nereverine Xenobia. Please, allow us to pass." Clavicus told them, taking his helmet.

"Sorry, sir, but our orders are clear. We're not allowed to let anyone in or out." The left guard replied, slauting his superior. Suddenly a building burst into flames behind them. "Holy Divines!" He shouted, rushing to the building's rescue.

"Damn them to Oblivion! They hit the Five Claws again! That's the third time this week!" The second guard muttered, keeping his place.

" 'They'?" Xenobia asked, stepping up.

"Yea, the Mythic Dawn. Buncha thugs preaching End-of-the-World rhetoric. Have you heard of them?" He asked, watching his friend cast an Ice spell on the blaze.

"No, sorry. Can't say I have. Where is their base?" Xenobia pipped up, itching to kill someone.

"Uh...I believe they're holed up in Madam Margarte's Home." Xenobia opened her mouth to speak again, but she was stopped. "Walk past the Chapel of Zenithar here, take the next left, and it'll be the house to your immediate right. Just don't kill Margarte. She's a friend of Gravionous there." He threw his head towards the man who was busy putting the fire out in the Five Claws Lodge.

"Thank you. One last question. How many are there?" She asked taking Keening from her sock.

"Oh, I'd say about...what...twenty or so. Yea, that sounds about right. Around twenty." He finished. Xenobia smiled a malicious, almost bloodthirsty grin.

"Perfect. My kinda odds." She dashed down the street and disappeared around the corner of the temple.

"Does she do that often? You've got to stop her! Those thugs'll gut her like a fish!" The first guard spoke. Clavicus smiled and dismissed the whole thing with a wave of his hand.

"If I'm going to lend any kind of support, it would be to the Mythic Dawn. They'll need all the help they can get from Xenobia." Clavicus started to walk away, but then added "With her being the Nereverine and all."

Xenobia approached to door and knocked twice. The door swung open and a young Breton woman appeared in the jam.

"Hello?" The Breton asked. Xenobia smiled and bowed slightly.

"Please excuse my interruption, ma'am, but you wouldn't happen to be Madam Margarte, would you?" She questioned.

"Y-yes...why?" She replied. Xenobia took one of the katana's from her back and looked at it.

"I was told you have certain...undesirable people occupying your home...Correct?" She drew her thumb across the blade and looked at the Breton.

"Are you hear to...get rid of them?" She whispered.

"Yes ma'am. Where can I find them?" The woman didn't answer, just rushed Xenobia inside.

"Here..." The woman spoke after closing the door. She drew the rug up from the floor revealing a trap door. "They're down here." Xenobia grasped the ring on top and pulled. "Oh, but you can't do down there alone! They'll kill you!"

"Once I'm down, I want you to pile everything you have that's heavy on top of the door, and don't let anyone that doesn't have to say 'the sun has set' out, right? I'll be up in like, ten minutes." Without another word, Xenobia dropped down.


End file.
